A Quiet Place Part II
A riveting horror film just as engaging as its predecessor.
John Krasinski and Emily Blunt have captured some magic with the Quiet Place films. While it will help if you’ve seen the original to understand the turmoil facing the Abbott family, take a deep breath and let it unravel in front of you.
With her husband (Krasinski) having died in the first film in order to save their two older children, Evelyn struggles to find a safe location for them. In addition, she carries her tiny baby as she tries to keep him quiet. Yet the monsters lurk everywhere.
In the process they find Emmett (Cillian Murphy), a caustic survivor living alone in a factory that proves to be a safe haven. Initially wanting them to leave, he reluctantly follows Evelyn’s teenage daughter (Millicent Simmonds) who is searching for access to an island that may offer hope.
Every scene in this unforgettable film is filled with chaos. Evelyn and her son Marcus (Noah Supe) fight off savage beasts who respond to the slightest sound. Murphy and Ms. Simmonds eventually form a team as beasts are a step away all hours of the day.
You love all the characters, which makes you embrace their agony. In particular Ms. Simmonds, deaf in real life, gives an Oscar worthy performance as a smart child who pursues defenses that can provide brief periods of protection.
And Mr. Murphy shows his acting skill as a bearded widower who eventually treats Ms. Simmonds as his daughter as they continually dance on the eve of destruction. Forced to flow under acting’s radar screen, I’ve loved his performances in Dunkirk (2017), 28 Days Later (2002) and Peaky Blinders (2013).
I saw this film with my caustic old friend Dr. Kleinman. He loved it and I should have started and ended my review with that observation.
However, as I watched this sequel, I couldn’t help but think of the pandemic that has haunted our country for over a year. The virus has functioned as an alien monster that has devoured over 500,000 Americans.
As 19 Indiana Republican Legislators seek to stop I.U.’s call for all students to be vaccinated, shouldn’t they wonder what lurks outside their dorm door if they make a sound?
